A Real (?) IPA

Luke Nicholas, owner/brewer of Epic Brewing in Auckland, NZ, put 40 liters of Armageddon India Pale Ale on the Interislander Ferry for six weeks hoping to recreate an “original IPA.” In the 1880s, pale ale from Burton-on-Trent in England took around six weeks on tall ships to reach its customers in India. “I sourced two 20-liter new oak barrels and filled them with fresh Armageddon,” Nicholas said. “For a beer to stand up to the kind of treatment we have in mind it has to be pretty robust. Armageddon is definitely big, strong and hoppy. The idea is to see what effect changes in temperature and constant movement have on beer stored in wood. Most pundits believe India Pale Ales benefited from the conditioning they received during their sea voyages.”